Anna Meares’ fourth Olympic Games campaign came to a close on Monday, with the reigning champion finishing tenth overall in the women’s sprint at the Rio Olympic Velodrome.
CYCLING - TRACK: Anna Meares’ fourth Olympic Games campaign came to a close on Monday, with the reigning champion finishing tenth overall in the women’s sprint at the Rio Olympic Velodrome.
Meares - who two nights ago became Australia’s most decorated cyclist with six medals when she won an emphatic keirin bronze – was sent through the repechage ringer twice in two days by a relentless women’s sprint line up.
"For the first time in 22 years, my body, I just couldn’t get any more out of it,” Meares, the only female cyclist in history to have three Olympic sprint medals, said.
“But major final or minor final I raced as hard as I could; anytime I put on this uniform I try to put myself in the best position to win and I did that, but just my legs gave way.”
On Sunday, Meares qualified ninth fastest (10.947) with fellow four-time Olympian Simona Krupeckaite (LTU) taking the win in their 1/16s clash to send Meares into her first ever Olympic sprint repechage round.
But as seen during three previous Olympic campaigns, it was a vintage fighting performance from Meares to take the second-chance round win to keep dreams of a seventh Olympic medal alive.
When the event continued on Monday, Wai Sze Lee (HKG) proved too strong in their 1/8 clash, pushing Meares back into another repechage, where she was just edged by reigning world champion Tianshi Zhong (CHN). Meares then went on to finish second in the 9th-12th place final to put her tenth.
“The perfectionist in me and the elite athlete that I’ve been for so long just finds it really hard to comprehend that result but at the same time I’m very proud because I knew that was going to be tough,” Meares said.
“It’s highs and lows, that’s life. As heavy as I feel I’m still really proud of everything I’ve achieved and everything that I’ve done and I raced that minor final as I would have ridden an Olympic gold medal final.
“It just shows where sprinting has shifted in the women’s discipline and unfortunately, my physical elements, I haven’t been able to train in the capacity to stay in competition.
“I know that there will be a lot of criticism of my result in that event and believe me there’s no one who will criticise me more than me.”
“My best chances were always in the keirin and the team sprint and I delivered there and achieved my goals so I’m really proud, I’m really happy.”
With her Rio games over, Meares glittering career medal tally stands at six – most all time for an Australian cyclist and one of only two non-swimmers to have found the Olympic podium six or more times.
Time will tell whether the world has witnessed Meares’ last ever Olympic ride, with the Queenslander herself unsure of when she will hang up the bike.
“I’ve got to ask myself what I want, where I want to go. I need to assess my body, it’s very difficult and tantalising with the Gold Coast (Commonwealth Games) being so close but I also am 32 and I want to give myself the chance to get some perspective and I can’t do that in this environment,” Meares said after being met with a multitude hugs and well wishes from her competitors and team staff from all nations in the track infield following her race.
“I’m going to take a year for myself, absolutely, but give me a week or two when I get home to talk to those people who are really important to me and then I’ll let you know.”
And despite all the rewrites of the record books when she won her bronze medal – which placed her as the only female cyclist ever to have won an Olympic medal in all four sprint events - the true team-oriented Meares revealed her moment of the Games to date was not the medal, nor was it carrying the flag.
Instead, it was the moment she was given the privilege of addressing Australia’s 400-strong team at the official team INSPIRE session in the Athletes’ Village in the days before the Games began.
“I would say the response that I got from my team after the speech I gave at the Inspire session at the start.
“To know that I could have an impact of such a positive nature for people who are so motivated and driven and inspired already I think that’s a highlight.”
The women’s sprint competition continues on Tuesday with Becky James (GBR), Katy Marchant (GBR), Tianshi Zhong (CHN) and Kristina Vogel (GER) considered strong favourites for the podium.
Amy McCann
olympics.com.au
